How is the average insurance buyer ever going to determine which car insurance company is the best? That sounds like a nightmare instead of a shopping comparison. Insurance agencies are located in every major city and suburb in America. These agencies are either independent agents that represent several insurance companies or exclusive agents that represent one company. These are insurance companies that use the agent distribution as their method of marketing their products.

Some insurance companies have chosen to eliminate the agent and use the mail, the telephone, or the internet to sell their products. The property and casualty companies are always in a battle for market penetration. The insurance companies have to walk a fine line between new acquisitions and expense to do business. This is important information for the consumer because they are the ones making the final decision on who is winning. The best insurance company for you may be completely different than one preferred by your next door neighbor. Time and experience have a way of guiding you to your choice of companies.

Things to Consider….

1. Insurance Agent – The car insurance agent has been the single most successful means of insurance distribution in insurance history. The neighborhood agent has ties to the community and is easily accessible. That is a great value to a great many people especially with people who want person to person advice and counsel.

2. Direct Distribution – This is the name that we will give to the insurance companies that sell you insurance with 800 telephone numbers or through the internet and mailing services. They sell direct to you and you are serviced by them through customer service call centers. The direct distributor claims to have lower rates because they have eliminated the agent.

Once you determine how you want to be serviced then you can begin a search for those types of insurance companies. AM Best is a rating guide that you can find in your local library that gives you the financial strength of each insurance company.